The Venezuelan opposition deputy Antonio Ecarri demanded this Wednesday the resignation of the ombudsman, Alfredo Ruiz, after participating in public consultations of the amnesty billin which on Tuesday he heard testimonies from relatives of political prisoners.
“After reviewing the cases and having heard yesterday’s testimonies, the Ombudsman has to resign immediately here, because it cannot be that the most beautiful figure of the 1999 Constitution is blind, deaf and mute,” said Ecarri, according to a press release.
The parliamentarian also insisted on the need for an urgent and in-depth review of the Prosecutor’s Office, the Attorney General’s Office and the Venezuelan justice system.
“The judges of the republic have been champions in violation of due process,” he said.
Ecarri asks to expand the review of the amnesty law
Ecarri announced that he will propose in the second discussion of the amnesty project to expand the work of the special commission that debates the text, given the conditions “in which the Judiciary in Venezuela finds itself today.”
“This atmosphere of coexistence and this desire to review all political parties and organizations has to continue,” he stressed.
In response to repeated questions from journalists about the validity of the Law of Hate and the Simón Bolívar Law, Ecarri made clear the addition to the proposal of the Freedom Parliamentary Group for these instruments to be repealed due to their unconstitutional nature.
He emphasized that the amnesty law must be support for a country where human rights violations are never again recorded and the guarantees established by the Constitution are respected, among which freedom of expression stood out.
Chavismo accelerates approval of the amnesty law
The National Assembly, with a Chavista majority, approved the project in its first discussion on Thursday. According to the president of the Legislature, Jorge Rodríguez, the law will be approved this week, in the second and final vote.
On Tuesday, Parliament and the Program for Coexistence and Peace assured that they will continue to receive proposals from relatives of political prisoners during public consultations, after a meeting at the Federal Legislative Palace, in Caracas.
After the meeting, deputy Jorge Arreaza, president of the special commission, stated that they will listen to “everyone” so that the law has the greatest possible scope.
Until February 10, the NGO Criminal Forum has verified 431 releases since Jorge Rodríguez announced the release of “a significant number” of people on January 8.
The government in charge claims to have released 896 people since December, although it has not published the list to support that figure.
